How Much Fruit Should You Eat Daily?

Fruits are a crucial part of one’s healthy diet. Actually, diets full of fruit are related to a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of many diseases. All the same, many people are worried about the sugar content of fruit and fear that eating too much of it could be dangerous.

So how many portions of fruit should you eat daily to be healthy? And is it possible to overindulge with? This short article explores the present research on the topic.

Fruit Is Rich in Many Important Nutrients

The content of nutrients in fruits depends on the varieties of the fruit. However, all varieties contain important nutrients.

First of all, fruit is generally high in vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C, Potassium and Folate just to name a few. Fruit is also rich in fiber, which has numerous health benefits.

Consuming fiber can help lower cholesterol, enhance feelings of satiety and help with weight loss over time. Further, fruits are loaded with antioxidants, which keep free radicals in check. Having a diet rich in antioxidants can help slow aging and lessen the risk of disease. Due to the fact, different fruits have different amounts of nutrients, you need to eat a variety of them to increase the health benefits.

Eating Fruit Can Help You Lose Weight

Fruits are full of nutrients and quite low in calories, which makes them an excellent choice for people trying to lose weight. Even better, they are full of water and fiber, which help you feel full. Due to this, you can usually eat fruit until you’re satisfied, without consuming lots of calories.

Actually, several studies show that eating fruit is linked to lower calorie intake and could lead to weight loss over time. Apples and citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, are one of the most fillings.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind whole, solid fruit is far more filling than puréed fruit or juice, which you can usually consume a lot of without feeling full. Studies show that drinking a lot of fruit juice is linked to increased calorie intake and may increase your risk of obesity and other serious diseases.

Eating Fruit May Lower Your Risk of Disease

Research consistently shows that diets high in vegetables and fruit are related to lowered risk of numerous serious diseases such as cancer , diabetes and heart disease.

While many studies check out fruit and vegetable consumption as one, there are several studies that look at the benefits of fruits especially.

One examine of 9 studies discovered that every additional serving of fruit consumed daily reduced the risk of heart disease by 7%. A different study revealed that eating fruits such as grapes, apples, and blueberries is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Citrus fruits, mainly, can boost the levels of citrate in your urine, which decreases the risk of kidney stones.

Increased fruit consumption can even help lower blood pressure and lessen oxidative stress, which may lower the risk of heart disease.

Enjoying more fruits and vegetables is furthermore linked to improved blood sugar control in people with diabetes.

Is Fruit Safe for People With Diabetes?

The majority of dietary recommendations for those who have diabetes suggest eating ample fruits and vegetables.

Present nutrition tips recommend that people suffering from diabetes consume 2–4 servings of fruit daily, which is the same as the general population. However, some individuals restrict the amount they eat as they become worried about the sugar content.

Nevertheless, studies show that once sugar is consumed in a whole fruit, it has not much effect on blood sugar levels. Further, fruit is rich in fiber, which basically slows the digestion and absorption of sugar, bettering overall blood sugar control.

The fiber in fruit might also decrease insulin resistance and could help protect against type 2 diabetes. Additionally, fruit contains polyphenols, which have been found to improve blood sugar control

Moreover, eating more fruits and vegetables is actually associated with lower levels of oxidative stress and inflammation in diabetes sufferers.

That being said, not all fruits are created equal. A number of them raise blood sugar more than others, and diabetics are encouraged to monitor their blood sugar levels after consuming to find out which foods they should limit.

What About Those Who Following a Low-Carb Diet?

Some individuals consider eating 100–150 grams of carbs daily to be “low-carb .” Other people try to get into nutritional ketosis and decrease carb intake to below 50 grams daily. This kind of diet is named a ketogenic diet and goes beyond the regular low-carb diet.

The average piece of fruit has between 15–30 grams of carbs, so the amount of you should eat depends totally on how many grams of carbs you wish to consume every day.

Obviously, there isn’t lots of room to include fruit on a ketogenic diet.

That’s not to say ketogenic diets are unhealthy, though. In fact, following a ketogenic diet will help you slim down and can even help fight several diseases.

Berries are the lowest in carbs of all fruits. Therefore if you’re counting carbs, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries are truly excellent choices.

Finally, fruits are incredibly nutritious, but they don’t possess any nutrients that you can’t get from other foods, like vegetables.

If you opt to stick to a ketogenic diet and drastically restrict your carb intake, it’s fine to avoid fruits as long as you are getting those nutrients from other foods. For everyone else, fruit can and needs to be part of a healthy low-carb diet.

Is It Possible to Eat Too Much Fruit?

It’s been proven that fruit is ideal for you, but can “too much” be harmful?

Firstly, when eating whole fruit, it’s quite hard to eat too much. For the reason that fruits are incredibly high in water and fiber, making them very filling — to the point where you probably will feel full after just one piece. Because of this, it is very difficult to eat large amounts of fruit every day. Actually, less than 1 in 10 Americans satisfy the minimum daily fruit recommendation.

Despite the fact that eating large amounts of fruit every day is really improbable, several studies have checked the effects of consuming 20 servings each day.

In one study, 10 people enjoyed 20 servings of fruit every day for 14 days and experienced no negative effects. In a somewhat bigger study, 17 people enjoyed 20 servings of fruit every day for a few months with no negative effects.

As a matter of fact, researchers actually found possible health benefits. Although these studies are small, they provide a reason to believe that fruit is safe to eat in any amount. After all, if you eat fruit until you feel full, it really is nearly impossible to eat “too much .”

Anyway, it’s worthwhile to note that fruit should preferably be consumed as part of a well-balanced diet that includes a number of other whole foods.

How Much Fruit is Optimal?

Although it’s possible to eat healthy while consuming not much or a lot of fruit, the ideal amount stays somewhere between.

The general recommendation for fruit and vegetable consumption is a minimum of 400 grams daily or 5 servings of 80 grams. One 80-gram serving is comparable to a small piece about the size of a tennis ball. For vegetables and fruit which can be measured by the cup, a serving is about 1 cup.

This recommendation comes from the fact that having 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day is related to a lower risk of death from diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

One big analysis of 16 scientific studies discovered that consuming over 5 servings daily provides no added benefit. On the other hand, another systematic review of 95 scientific studies found the lowest disease risk at 800 grams or 10 daily servings.

Take into account these studies examined both fruits and vegetables. Assuming half of these servings originate from fruit, you should consume around 2 – 5 servings of fruit daily.

Recommendations from different health authorities differ a little, but generally seem to align with the current research. Here is an example – United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) guidelines recommend the average adult have 2 servings of fruit daily, while the American Heart Association ( AHA ) recommends adults eat 4 to 5 servings of fruit daily.

Point To Highlight

Eating whole fruit offers good health and can lower the risk of countless serious diseases.

Except if you are following a ketogenic diet or maybe have some kind of intolerance, there is actually absolutely no reason to limit the amount of fruit you eat.

While most studies suggest that the ideal amount is 2 to 5 servings of fruit every day, there looks like no harm in eating more.

Fruits are a crucial part of one's healthy diet. Actually, diets full of fruit are related to a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of many diseases. All the same, many people are worried about the sugar content of fruit and fear that eating too much of...

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